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<TITLE>Integrated Graphics, Modeling, Design and Manufacturing</TITLE>
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<h2>University of Utah<br>
Department of Computer Science
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<H2>Integrated Graphics, Modeling, Design and Manufacturing</H2>
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<H2>People</H2>

Principal Faculty: <!WA2><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/~cohen">
Elaine Cohen</A>, <!WA3><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/~rfr">
Rich Riesenfeld</A>, and <!WA4><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/~drake">
Sam Drake</A><P>

<!WA5><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/staff.html">
Staff members</A><P>

<!WA6><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/grads.html">
Graduate students</A><P>


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<P><H2>Research</H2>

The group is engaged in both fundamental and applied research in
developing methods for representing, specifying, manipulating, and
visualizing geometric models, including assemblies and mechanisms, on
a computer, as well as associated process planning, and manufacturing
issues for both traditional (milling, turning, CMM, EDM), and
innovative (layer technology) manufacturing processes.  The group
explores these issues as integrated problems.  In motivation of this
approach, note that proper perception of shape is important in design,
and proper calculation of first and second order geometry properties
are critical for manufacturing.  Without accurate lighting models and
computational methods for rendering shape, perceptions of shape can be
distorted.  Without proper methods of transforming a piece of metal to
a final shape, the final manufactured object can be wrong.<P>

The group is also actively researching issues related to the Scientific
Visualization of data arising from a variety of applications.  This
involves the development of new algorithms and interfaces for rendering
both realistic and abstract images and interacting with the resulting
visual representations.<P>

As early users of our results, affiliated prominent projects in robotics,
vision, and engineering design serve as sources of relevant research 
problems.  Collaborators from this adjunct community have contributed to
and influenced our work.<P>

As <!WA7><A HREF = "http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/stc.html">a site of the NSF/ARPA Science and Technology
Center (STC) for Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization</A>,
we have 24 hour televideo communication with the Brown, Caltech,
Cornell, and UNC-CH sites.  Ongoing research collaboration topics
include user interfaces, modeling (Brown), and using special purpose
graphics architectures in design (UNC-CH).  All sites participate in a
5-way, collaboratively taught <!WA8><A
HREF="http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/techXfer/teleCourse.html">Advanced
Graphics Seminar</A>.<P>

Research in the area of design and manufacturing process integration is
carried out through the ARPA <!WA9><A HREF = "http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/arpa/cidam.html">Concurrent
Integrated Design and Manufacture (CIDAM)</A> project.<P>

We also engage in collaborative research with the <!WA10><a
href="http://www.cs.utah.edu/~sci/">Scientific Computing and
Imaging</a> group and the <!WA11><a
href="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/robot/">Vision and Robotics</a>
group at the University of Utah.  One such project, sponsored by NSF,
is the <!WA12><a
href="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/robot/virtual_prototyping.html">Virtual
Prototyping of Mechanical Assemblies</a> project.

<H3>Current Research Issues include:</H3>
<UL>
<LI> Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling
<LI> Mechanical Design, Process Planning and Numerically Controlled Machining
<LI> Inspection and Reverse Engineering
<LI> Model Data Strutures and Persistent Objects
<LI> Geometric Representations and Modeling Paradigms
<LI> Constraint Based Design
<LI> Modeling Operators
<LI> Simulation and Physically Based Modeling
<LI> Constraints and Dependencies
<LI> Interaction and User Interfaces
<LI> Visualization and Animation
<LI> Digital Video and Teleconferencing
<LI> STC and Other Collaborative Research Issues
<LI> <!WA13><a href="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/robot/virtual_prototyping.html">Virtual Prototyping of Assemblies</a>
</UL>

<HR>
<H2>Sponsors</H2> 

This project is a Utah State Center of Excellence.  The group's
research and facilities are sponsored by ARPA, NSF, the NSF STC for
Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization, and various industrial
sponsors.<P>

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<H2>Facilities</H2><P>
Local Research Laboratory Facilities include:
<UL>
<LI> <!WA14><a href = "http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/grlab/index.html">
     Graphics, Design, and Visualization Lab</a>
<LI> <!WA15><a href = "http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/videolab/index.html">
     Video Editing and Teleconferencing Lab</a>
<LI> <!WA16><a href = "http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/aml/index.html">
     Advanced Manufacturing Lab</a>
</UL>
Research Facilities Available through the STC include the remote use of:
<UL>
<LI> Pixel Planes Graphics Rendering (UNC-CH site)
<LI> UNC-CH Virtual Reality Facilities
</UL>

<HR>
<H2>Distributed Results</H2><P>
<UL>
<LI> <!WA17><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/alpha1-system.html">
	Alpha_1</A>, a geometric modeling, visualization, 
		and manufacturing experimental testbed system, is 
		based on project research results.  It includes commercial 
		enhancements, and is distributed under license.
<LI> <!WA18><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/urt.html">Utah Raster Toolkit</A>, available via anonymous FTP.
<LI> <!WA19><A HREF="http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/alpha1/model.html">
	Models</A> available via FTP.
</UL>

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<address> Comments or questions to: <!WA24><a href="mailto:a1-web@gr.cs.utah.edu"> a1-web@gr.cs.utah.edu</a></address>

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